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VOL. XX. MANNING, S. C., WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 1905. NO, 9.
/ N ABSURD LAW.
Scntenced'to be hang for Mur
der of Her Husband
WHO KILLED ET IF
Woman Took Poison With Her Hulband.
She Recovered, But He Died and
Under Antiquated Law She
Was Put on Trial for
Her Life.
By a singular coincident sin u tan
-usly with the pubication in L )ndon
Egland, f the cabled report of J.
-ph Choate's speech at the Lotu
(tub, in New York, wherein he ex
ressed the opinion that British law
was superior to the hcms-madt article
and better administered, we have been
reated to a striking demonstration of
,.s assinine qualitities. With black
eap on head, a British j :dge in Lon
don has solmenly pronounced sentence
of death on an old woman for the
murder of her husband, whom she did
ot murder, and to c~mplete the f Lr
icial tragedy a British chaplain has
:,olemnly invoked the mercy of God
an her "guilty so," which was no
uilty. And all this with the fu:1
Knowledge that she did not commit
the crime for which she was convicted
and that she will never be hanged for
it. In a condemned cell the aged vYc
tim of legal cruelty whose sad plight
-as evoked expressions of the deepest
ympathy from all classes is awaiting
he exercise of the crown's prerogative
if mercy: After a brilef period of im
prisonment she will probably be ze
eased-to eke out what remains o
hter wretched axistence branded as a
murderess. Judge and jury are agreed
.hat she should never have been con
victed. But they had no other recourse
than to conform to a stupid and anti
quated law which ought long ago to
,.ave been repealed.
Mrs. Marian Seddon's story is one
of the most pitiful that has ever been
told in the grim old Bailey court. She
was 65 years old and her husband was
78. They had been married twelve
years. After their marriage they
started a confectionery shop at Staines
For a time they were fairly successf l.
Then trade fell off and they moved to
a shop in Mortlake. There things
went from bad to worse. Tne tus
band's health failed. When quarter
day came round they had not eLough
money to pay the rent. Death or lae
work house seemed to be the only al
ternative open to them ar.d they chose
death, but the husband alone founc
it.
"We decided," said Mrs. Seodon,
at the inquest on his body, "that wf
had better both leave the wor d
gether.'' After passing a yleepso~
night worrying over their lot, bhec
despair gripped her. "I can't stant
this any longer," she said to her hus
band. Rising from the bed she wenm
to a cupboard and took from It a tot
tle containingr a liniment compcst d et
belladonna and sconite, which had
been used to relieve her hushandi
pain, it was marked "poi son." She
drank half its contents. Then she said
to her husband, "There is nothirg for
us but this or the work house. Are
you going to take you shan :" "Yes,"
replied the man, and snatching the
bottle from his wife's hands he drain
ed what remained of the poison.
Mrs. Ssddon then sought her sister
In law, who lived In the same hat use,
told her what they had done and be
sought here to see to it that they were
saved ihe ignominy of pauper burial.
Then she returned to the bed and lay
down by her husband's side, to died
with him, she thought. But the poison
worked slowly. As in duty bound the
sister in law told the police what had
happened. The police removed the
couple to the work house, which they
had so dreaded. There the doctors did
their best to prevent them escaping
from It by death--as in duty they
were bound to do. They saved Mrs.
Seddoh's life, but her husband, more
fortunate, succumbed.
There followed, of course, a coroner's
Inquest. The jury brought in a verdict
of suicIde while temporily Insane.
Then the police arrested Mrs. Seddon
and charged her with the murder of
the man who, according to the coro
ner's jury, had comnitted suicide.
Paradoxical as it sounds the law justi
tied that charge. For the law declar
es that If two persons conspire to
commit suicide and one survive that
survivor Is guilty of murder.
The evidence at the trial made it
clear that it was not a case of murder
-that Is according to common sense
notions. But the law was equally em
phatic that It was murder, and the
judge told the jury that they we uld
have to stand by the law. The jury
reluctantly brought in a verdict of
guilty, adding a strong recon~menda
tion to mercy. And the judge reluc
tantly senter ced the woman to death.
He said it was the saddest case he had
ever tried. His opinion of the law
which compelled him to impcse a sen
tence that was utterly abhorrent to
his notions of right and justic3 he kept
to himself, for in a court of justice
the most stupid law must be treated
as something sacred.
"We did not want to find the we
moan guilty," said one of the jury men,
after the trial was over, "bau after
what the judge told us we c~uld not
do otherwise. Of course, we knew thai
the woman would not be hang~ed, anc
of course, the judge knew it, too,
when he pronounced sentence of deatt
upon her. In this case the law is cer
tainly 'an bass," and it is absurd tc
retain it on the statutes.-'
One of the council who took part it
the trial sa.id to the writer:
"The case reveals a fiaw in cur lay
which certainly ought to te amended
We ought to have murder in the tirs1
degree and in the secnd degree, as
believe you have inrthe United Soeates
It is absurd to put a pers-on who
merejly technically guilty on trial fo:
his or her life. A laousebreaker wah
woashed a window with his ult, abi
2-ying giass from which fatally irj-re
any one would be tecbicallY guly 0:
murder. So would a man who shot ai
a fowl which did not belang to him
and acc:dentlly killed a man.
AGAINST BISHOP DUNCAN.
A Preachcr Alleges Thac He Is Guil
ty of Non-ad ministration
At the meeting of the North Geor
gia Conference last week at Nerman,
Ga., one of the preachers gi va notice
hat he would prefer charges against
B'shop Duncan of mal-administration.
W tien the minutes were rean on
Thursday morning Dr. W. W. Wad
sworth, about whom rumors of im
ridat or immoral conduct had been
circulated, which had been investiga
ted and found to be false by a com
mittee, objected to the way in which
his case was referred to in the miru
tes of the day before, saying he had
been done an injustice, that his c.se
was not brought up in the regular
way by Dr. Qallian, his presiding
elder. Dr. Wadsworth asked the bish
op to rule on a qaestion of law cor
ceruing Dr. Quillia's action. He want
ed to know if Dr. Quillian was not
acting contrary to law when he brought
up the question (f his case as he did
after a committee had exonsrated him.
The bishop did nct rule on the ques
tion, but will later.
D:. Wadsworth then addressed the
chair, saying:
"Bishop, I am in a good Lunmor, and
I say it with all courtesy, but I put
you on notice that I shall prefer
charges against yon at the next gen
ral conference for mal-administration
n meddling with the characters of
'eachers."
The bishop replied:
*Well, Dr. Wadsworth, I don't care
if y ni do."
'1 -nave no doubt," answered Dr.
Wadow orth, "that you do not care. I
am in. a good humor, but I shall pre
fer charges against you.
Dr. Wadsworth had reference to
the bishop asking each presiding elder
as thtir names were called, if there
vas anything against any preachers
! cer their charge. He claimed that
.as was wrong in the bishop; that it
w.s i ot his province to make such in
uiries, and that it amounted to mal
administration.
Tae incident caused a sensation in
the conference rooms.
ANX UAL PSNt ION REPORT.
Showing the Amounts Expanded in
Each of the Counties
The annual report of the state pen
sion departmant has been pablisuei
by the state prInter: The re port is
particular'y valuable in that it giv~s
Dho name of every pensioner and the
amount received by him cr by her.
Tae total number of pensioners le
the respectie clases is as follow.s
Class A, $96 each, 75; class B, $72.
192; c:ass C, No 1, $M8 585; class C,
No 2 $15.50, 4 068; class C N-. 3.
$48, 756; class C. N). 4. $15 50, 3 129.
loml number or penmioners, 8 804
The total amlunt paii to pensioners
wis $196,945 50. d vidf d among the
o-mtis.as folk : Abb viiie, 53,
52; Aiken, $6.9 '0: Ander. o , $11,
' 3; Barrb. rg, 51 712.75: Barn well,
3 332; B aufopt, 5680 50; Berkeley,
52,4(3; Charleston, $3,089 50; Cherc
ee, $5,163; Chester, 83 696; Chester
leld, 55 696 50- Clarendon, $3,338;
olleon, 56.984; Darlington, 84 989 -
50; D.'rchester, $1,754; Edgedield, 52,
884 25; Fairfield, $3 357; Florence,
$3 885 50; Georgetown, $1,027; Green.
v i1e, $11,014 90; Greenwood, 53,324.
5; H rmpton. 4 181 50; H~rry, $4 437;
Kerstaw, $3 387.75; Lancaster, 55,880
Laurens, 26 6(5.75, L e, $2,946 50;
Lexinton $5 771 27; Miarion, $5 466;
Earlboro, 53 502 25; Newberry, $3,
610 50: O tonee, $6 9 5; Orangeburg,
$4 375: Iken,, $5 330) 28; Richland,
$5 874 5'J; S :u 'a. -83 775; Spartan
burg. $17 481 50; Su mtr, 53 07
Unin' $5.034 50; Wi.1iam burg, $3,
988; York, 7,598; total, 5199.287 SO.
Shocking Tragedy.
L'ia;. on a couc'1 at his home in
Wes'. Phiacelphia, helpl ss from par
alysis, Dav.d F. Rwe, an elderly man,
was shot four times by Gaspar Coop
er, his son-in-law, who then fld from
the house arnd killed himnselft by send
it g a bullet through his head. Tne
father in-law's wounds are so serious
that he had to be removed to a hos
pital. It is believed he will recover.
Cooper had been marrit d to R~we's
daughter about three years, but the
wife left him about eight months ago
because of Ill treatment. To day the
husband returned to his father in
law's house and asked to see his wife.
Rowe said she was out earning her
lvng. The father-In law reproached
the son-in-law for iil treatir-g his
iaughter and a quarrel followed,
which ended by Cooper shooting his
wife's father while he lay on the
couch.
Want State Fl1az.
The members of the United Con.
federate veterans camp in C icago
have written the governor for a South
Carolina flag to be use d by them in
exerciss ovar the 6 000 Confederate
Idead buried near that city. Tne let
ter state s that a handsomoemonument
has been erected by the camp and
they desire a flag from every S uth.
er state for Memorial Day exercises.
The Confederate dead buried there
those who died at Federal prison.
The letter will probazuiy be referred
to the state organization of v.:t
erans.
Constables wanted.
The people of Cherokee townshil
in Cherokee county have sent a pe
ttion to Gjvernor H ey ward urging
the governor to place a state consta
ble at Blacksburg. The state thai
since the dispens: ries were voted out
at Blacksburg and Gaff aey, the in
crease of illicit manufacture and sali
of liquor has been so grear, it is
source of annoyance to the respectabli
"and law abiding res'dents of tuia1
township. The governor, of course
has not yet had time to take any act
ion on the petition.
T.,wn Burned.
1A dispatch from Burk, McDoweJ
county, Va., is to the effect that th
entire town was destroyed by fir
early Wednesday morning. Burk is
mining town of 2.000 people abou
)150 mies from there. More than 10
bulnsere destroyed.
SERIOUS CHARGE
Made Aagainst Senator John=
sen of Fairfield County,"
WHICH HE IXPLAINS
To the Satisfaction of the Judge. The
Senator was Charged With Talk
ing to and Trying to Infuence
a Juror in the State
House Case.
The noted suit for $200,000 against
<I Ivaine, Unkefer & Co., and Frank
Milburn, contractors and architect,
respectfully, for the c3mpletion of the
state capitol for alleged irregularities
and faulty construction of work, was
begun in the crc lit court at Colum
bia on Thursday, with an imposing
array of counsel on both sides and
the entire state looking on with deep
interest and eagerly looking for the
conclusion. The fight is honey comb
ed with politics, but while some ren
*ational developments have b' en
promised. Mr. Milburn and the con
Dractors appear to be perfectly con
ident of the rtsults, and say they are
anxious for the trial to be carried on
and finished as they have nothirg to
fear. The suit was brought by Sena
tor Aldrich and R- pr sntative Yan
cy Williams, appoinLti by the Icegis
lature to look into the matter, which
has been the subject of so many acri
monious and spirited debates in the
legislature.
In connection with the case the
Columbia State says Col W. J. John
son, senator from FAirfield county
and a member of the former State
house commission, may be called upon
in open- court to purge himself of con
tempt of court. Col. Johnson "spoke
his mind" very freely Thursday at
the dinner hour to members of the
jury, and it made such an impression
upon at loast one of them that he
reported the circumstanc-s. Jadgt
Gage's attention was c Lled to the
matter by Col. J. Q Marshall.
Col. Marshall annoured that he
did not want to impede the progress
of the trial but he thought this mat
tOr should be told to the court. Judge
Gage in an unrti fld manner, after
hearing that Mr. Johnson had been
permitted by the defendants' attor
neys to go to his heme at Ridgeway,
ordered his return to Columbia. Tae
following is a transcript of the inci
dent from stenographic notes: Col.
Karshall (-efore going on the witness
stand:) I do not care to interfere
with tue rrogress of this case, but I
think in my duty to mention what a
juror told me as I was inteilng the
court room.
The court indicated that Col. Mar
shall should proceed with the state
rent. Col. Marshall: One of the
jurors informed me that a party has
approachEd him outside after the ad
j >urnment of ccu:t. H:s words were
about this: Tuaat It was an outrage
to bring this suit against Milburn
and that the work had been well done.
I think it my duty to call the court's
attention to this.
The court: Who is is this juror.
Star d up.
Mr. Ruif, a m' m'>er of the panel,
stood up ar.d was bworn on his voir
dire at the direction of the court.
Q. Now, Mr. B i, state what oc
curred.
A. We were going along as c 'urt
a j urned, going to oinner, and were
approached by a man in the street,
Mr. Johnson from .Ridgeway. He.
spoke to us and said that it was an
outrage for a suit of this kind to gco
on. That the work was well done
He spoke it in the presence of Mr.
Kelly, Mr. Blair and myself. He al
so said he was going home.
Court: Is Mr. Johnson in curt.
Mr. RBiff: He is not here now. I
d not see him
The court: Call him at the d~or.
Mr. Barron, I do not think Mr.
Johnson is here. H3 is 0-2e of the
original State house commissioners,
and was a member of the house of
representatives. We had him sub
poenaed here as a witness. He is now
State senator from Fairflald connty.
He approto e ed us before court ad.
iurned and stated that on ac 0 unt
of sickness in his family he desired to
go home this evening at 4 o'clock and
we told him we would telegraph him
in cise we needed him.
The court: Telegraph him to come
bere. If you do not I will have a
rule served on him.
Mr. Barron: All right, sir.
Tao court: Ask him to be here
Fiday.
WHAT JOHNSON SAYS.
In the court of common pleas of
Richland county Friday, Senator W.
J. Johnson purged himself of the
charge of contempt of court in so far
as he was alleged to have approached
a jryman and to have danouoced the
trial of certain parties as an outrage
Senator Johuson did not withdraw
his language, but repeated it to the
curt room. However he did disavow
speaking to the juror inl any other
than a casual manner. The juror had
spoken to him first, and he had mere
ly made answer in passing without
recalling that Mr. Ruff, to whom his
remarks were addressed, was a juror.
Senator Johnson stated that he
had been very much surprised to re
Tive a telegram calling him back
from his home at Ridge wvay on ac
count of the illegation that he had
addressed remarks about the trial to
a juror. He could not think what
had inspired this but malice and
hatred.
"I will state the conversation as it
curred verbatim as near as my
memory will permit," he continued.
"When I left the court house I over
1took Mr. Ruff and Mr. Blair. I spoke
to them pleasantly, told them good
1evenng and Mr, Ruff said: "What
ae doing down here? Are you on
this case?" I told him that I was:
tha I had been subpoenaed as a wit
n.
"I did not use the language tba
he says I used, but I told him
thought the case was a da .ncd fraud
and that the work tad been proper!
done.and passed on.
6At the time this conversation oc
curred I did not recall the fact tha
Mr. Ruff was on the jury, although
had seen bm on the jury while I wa
in the court house.
"I will be candid enough to state
however, that if I had known thi
fact at the time, the same conversq
tion possibly would have cccurredb)
cause he led up to the ccnversation.'
Mr. Johnson, after defending his in
tegrity, disclaimed any Intention t
be disiespectful to the court.
Judge Giry: "I think Mr. Ruff wa
right to report the matter to thi
court. Mr. Johnson disclaims any in
tention of being disrespect ul to thi
administration of justice. I think 1
was improper, Mr. Johnson, and :
think it is improper in anybody to ref
fer to a case that is pending in court.
I think it is improper because it em
barrasses the juror. It Is often done
but the tendency of it is to hinder th
lawful administration of justice. Jur
ors are men and they cannot help bu
be influenced by opinion on the out
6idE o3 the issues pending bafore them
espedally when that opinion comei
from one who is entitled, under ordi.
nary circumstances, to be heeded. I
think the matter might as well bi
5'opped here. I am satisfied undei
your statement that the conversatior
was led up to. You stated you were a
,vitness. I know as a matter of public
record you had been on this commis
sion, and perhaps you had more inter
est in the matter than an outside
aould have. I want to say emphat
ically it is bad practice, and one to be
ondemned, no matter who exercise!
it.",
TRILLING IXPERTENCE
61 a Schooner Frcm Port R )yal t<
N w York,
The three masted schooner, Wm.
W. Converse, Capt. Nickerson, lum.
ber laden, from Port Royal, to Nevi
York, was towed into Norfolk harboi
late Wednesday night by the steame3
itescue, with all her sails gone, hei
crew exhausted and water pouring
through strained seams at the rate 01
one foot an hour.
The story of the saving of the Con
verse is the most thrilling in thiL
year's events along the Virginia-Caro
lina ciast. From the time the ves.
sel left Port Royal until she came t
anchor Wednesday afternoon fon.
miles off Dam Neck Mills life saving
station, heavy seas and adverse wind
had held her at their mercy. All the
way up the coast she battled wit.1
them. Frst almost all of her decl
load was carried away and then on
sail after another went by the board,
Her steering gear became Injured
and she r3lled in the trough of the
sea while big waves crashed over her
The strain was so great that hei
sides began to open and water poured
into her hold. When Dam Neck Milli
were sighted the C nverse anchore
and s'gnalled for help. Norfolk wa
advised of the vessels plight and thi
Rescue put out to the scene. Suc't ;
rough sea was running It was ditB
ult for the wreckers to approact
near enough to make a line fast t<
the schooner.
In one attempt a seamarn on the
Rescue fell overboard and was savet
from drowning only by the heroit
work of a shipmate who ran out oi
the point of the bow and threw a lift
line with accuracy to the man In the
water, After a hard struggle againsl
the bind and sea the Recue at
o'o'k tonight reached N irfolk har
bor af ter 11. ..She is In a bad condi
tien and may have to be beached.
Mysterious Death.
At Chester, P.s., a nr-an believe d t<
be George Foster of Virginia, is dyini
from in juries receivetd in a mysteric'u
manner. ~He was found lying in ti
road late one night and as he appear
ed to be In a drunken stupor was takeI
to jail. During the nigot his cond
tion became serious a nd a physicial
who was summoned feund that hl
was suffering with hemorrhages of thi
head and stomach. His condiiion
the doctor said, was due to blows
The polite are endeavoring to ascer
tan whether the man was held up 0
was ir jared in a brawl. He wa
identified by several residents c
Chester as George Fjster. Nothini
is known concerning him beyond thi
fact that his tome is in Virginia.
To R adace the Acreage.
President Jordan, of the Southers
Cotton Growerm es.:ociation, in al
Interview sali the preparation to i
up 3,000,000 bales of cotton and holl
t for higher prices, in the face of tb
already established short crop anl
tbs unprecedented consumption, wa
well under way and promises suc~ess
reults. He said: "Tne entire ma
chinery of the association will be pu
in motion within a few days, pledg
ing the cotton gro'wers of the Souti
to a reduced acreage for the nex
year. We will begin this early t
hold down acreage to give tihe plan
ters a fu1l opportunity to make at
ragements for another year."
Dashed to Piac s.
Advices received from Cape Sabi
Islands are believed to confirm las~
night's report that the collier Turbin
was lost with all on board Frida
night. An t. diflal dispatch says th
steamer struck a rock off Mud Islani
and went to pieces ten minutes afte:
ward. There was no time to launc
a boat and none could have livedi
the sea that prevailed.
Ends His Life.
Drinking carbolic acid in his cf1l:
James Snyder, Pennsylvania Railwa
agent at Colliers. W. Va., Wednesda
night committed suicide at his suppe
Snyder recently complained o! havin
troubles of some sort, but told no or
what they were. His accounts ar
straight. Snyder was thirty years
age, unmarried, and a very popula
railroad emplove.
Fatal Fail of Slate.
George Robinson, was killed an
A. W. Wall, an unknowvn Hungariaz
was fatally injured by a fall of slat
in the New England Coal Company
lat mine at Santery. Ohio.
A -QUEER CASE.
t A Man Ordered by His Wife to
Commit Suicide.
ROW HE FOOLED HER
And Had a Good Time With the Money
She Gave Him to Bury Himself
With. Laugh on the Side of
the Husband.
Because he failed to obey his wife's
orders to cmmtt hari-karl, Henri
Nogues,of Paris France,is now lodged
in j il, accused by her of committing
burglary, forgery, and a variety of
other heinous cff ens;es. All the same
Nogues thinks that the laugh is on
nis side, and Paris agrecs with him.
Nogues is an expert machine itter
and a practical philosopher. Wheth
er he is the other things which his
wife alleges, remaias to be proved by
the lady, who keeps a green grocery
shop in the Rue d'Aliemsgae. Mme.
Nogues is a woman of thrifty habits,
but a shrewish temper. She and her
husband did not get along well to
gether and he rejoiced when his work
took him away from home for a few
days. He was engaged on a job at
Rennes the other day, aud congratu
lating himself on his temparary relief
from domestic worries, when he re
ceived this exhilarating epistle from
his better half:
"Inhuman m-nste;! You have
brough disgrace and dishonor on your
family. If you do not commit iu:ciOV
within twenty-four hours, I shall de
nource you the police. ANNA."
Any ordinary man would have been
greatly depressed oy such a missive,
but it did not upset Ncgues a bit.
He does notseem to have denied the
c 2arges, but wrote his wife that he
was prepared to commit suicide. To
save her the necessity of having to
attend to such disagreeable details
herself, however, he begged that she
wou~d send him suffi ient money to
enable him to make provisions for
his decent burial. He besought her
also to send him a photograph of her
self and his two daughters, that they
might be placed in the ccflia with
him. H 3 concuded by pleading for
her forgiveness and subsorib.d him
self, "your aff.ctionate husband."
Nogues' fellow-workmen noticed
that he was in a particularly good
humor for the rest of the day for he
chuckled frequently to himself, he
declined to tell them what it was that
tickled his fancy so much. Mme.
Nogues was delighted with the letter,
but she would not risk her precious
money on her husband's mere word.
Instead of sending it to him by mail,
she intrusted it to her brother-in-law
Legris Benonie, and instructed him
to see that Nogues carried out his
part of the bargain, and to send her
a teegra m. when the j .b was done.
She gave nim $120, having figured it
out that amount would enable her
husband to blow his brains out dc
ently and pay fLr the ifuneral expen
ses. And siae considered that she
would be rid of him cheaply at the
price.
N->gues had not calculated on Le
gris taking any part in the aff air, but
ne readily adapted himse t to the
changed circumstanees. When Bag
ris had explained his mission, Nogues
professed to be well satisfied with the
arrangements and th iy went off to
gether to buy a revolver.
SAfter the weapon had been pur
chased, Nogues proposed that they
a should eat a farewell dinner and crack
i a couple of bottles of wine together
- before he made his exit from this
1 world.
- "You can cut down the funeral ex
i penses a bit to make up for what it
a costs," he suggested, "and Anna-she
is a dear, good wife, but a bit close
tisted--need never know that we had
a good time with the money."
-L agris acquiesed without demur
r and tney adi jurned to the hotel where
s Ngues was staying. There they did
f full juistice to an ample dinner.
S"The landlord has treated me so
a well here," said Nagues when it was
dinished, "that I couldn't think of
committing suicide and making a mess
in his place- It would not be treat
lng him fairly. I'll have to do the
job scme where else."
"You will have to hurry." said Le
grit: "I promised to send Anna a tel.
a gram when it was done. Time is fly.
ing and she will be gettlng anxious."
S"Don't you think is would take a
load off her mind if you wired at once
thtI've done it?' observed Nogues.
t"It wouid only be anticipating my de
cease a little and would allow us
ime to get matters axed up EO that
t every thing will go through smoothly."
o "It is anuexcellent Idea," said the
accomodating Legris, "and it will
give her more time to get her mourn
ing ready."
IThis was the dispatch that he sent
Mmne. Nogues.
e ''Job finished. Everything passed
t off satisfactorily. Obsequies at Ran
e nes."
y Then they settled down to arrang
e ng details. Nogues insisted that a
funeral service should be held over
-his body. L-gris objected that a man
b who took his own life was noth entit
n led to that coremnony. Nogues con
tended that hiscase stood on a d: fr
ent footing from that of -an ordinary
suicide, since he was not seeking
a death voluntarily, but was going t
kill himself merely to satisfy his wife
7 and carry out her orders. Legris re
cognized the force of Nogues' logic
and promised to do his bast.
e~ Then Nogues begged for Tbe privi
e lege of being allo wed to select his owr
grave. Together they sallied forLL
to the cemetery. It was evening be
fore Nogues had selected a site that
satisfied his exacting notions.
"Since my wile thinks I'm dead
d anyhow," he said to his companion,
a "we might as well put off the job un
e till tomorrow and get a comfortable
' nights rest."
Legrris cnsented and the mornini
found Nogues apparently resignd tc
h"s fate. 'Tm quite prepared tc
shoot m-;elf," he said, "but I tbiKd
it would rot be a bad idea if we first
-a- a good breakfast tcgether. You
can shave down the funeral expens''s
a hit further to make up for it."
Taey b.d a gorgeous breskfast and
got somewhat fuddled over it. Then
they started ,fI to the ct metery where
Nogues was to blow out his brains.
Tnere another idea captivated him.
"I will expire," he said, "on the
tomb of my parents. They lie at
Montfort. Ob iously that is the
best place to do the j b. I shall rest
easier if I lie with them."
AS there was no train to Monfort
that day the dire deed was postponed
antil the morrow. When Montfort
was reached Nogues suddenly remem
bered that his cousin was the priest
of the parisn and his death in the
cemetery would bring disgrace upon
cim. Rather than do that he woul-t
sacrifice his own convenience: So it
was decidt d that the tragedy shouid
be enacee at Pantin. Tae two men
took tickets for Paris and arrived at
Monparna!se station at midn-ght.
Then N:gues discovered that lie had
forgotten to make his will and sever.
al hours were spent in drawirg up
that document, varicus cafes being
visited in the interim. In conse
querce Legris was reduced to a con
dition in which further locom tion
was impossible. Tee two men sepa
rated, Nogues vowing that when dawn
broke his corpse would be fvuad iin
the Pantin cemetery.
Before daybreak Nogues staggered
into his wire's home in the Rae d'Al
lemagne. Wnen she discovered that
it was not a ghost and that all the
money she had intrusted to her broth
er in law for the funeral had been ex
pended, her fury knew no bounds.
She called in the police and made
charges enough against her husband
to keep him in j il for many years if
he be guilty. Bat he stouily declares
that he is innocent and that her sole
motive in making the accusation R to
get rid of him.
A PECULIAR CASS.
A Citizen of North Snes Railroad
For a Bg Sum.
For alleged failure to post certain
rates and schedules at North, a sta
tion on the Saboard Airline Rilway,
suit was brought by a citiz -n of that
place for $32.900 some time ago and a
deciaion was rendered by the supreme
court last week, thraing the suit
out of the courts. The case was de
eided by Judge Towsend in the lower
curts on a d-murrer entered by the
Seaboard, which stated that the com
plaint was defective and that parts of
it were unconstitutional. Tnis dis
poses of this suit, b it it is said that
another case will be brought shortly.
The complaint was Dine of the most
interesting brought in a long time
and was as follows: That section
3092 and 2093 of the civil ccds of
South Carolina provides that the rail
road commissioners of said state shall
fix a schedule of reasonable freight
and passenger rates for each railroad
corpration doing busineES in this
state.
That the defendant is a railroad
corporation doing business in said
state, ani that North is a station on
said railroad corporation between
Columnbia, S. 0., and Denmark, S. C.,
but the said station of North is whol
ly within the state of South Carolina.
That the railroad commissioners of
said state more than one year prior to
the commencement of this action fix
ed a schedule of freight and passen
ger lates for the defendent corpora
tion.
That section 2093 of the civill code
or South Carolina provides that any
railroad corporation failir g to post at
any ot its stations a c py of the sched
ules aforesaid shall incur and s~ffsr a
penalty of one hundred dollars for
each and every day during which
time such corporation shall fail to
post suah schedule and that such pen
alty may be sued far by any citizen of
the said state, and the recovery shah
e equally divided between the citizen
so suing and the state of South Carc
lina.
That the defendent failed to post
such schedules at the said station of
North, S. C., from January 1, 1903,
to D. cember 9, 1903w a pericd of three
hundrid and twenty-nine days, and
and that thereby the defendant has
incurred and Is liable for a psnalty ag
gregating thirty-two thousand nine
hundred dollars- That the plaintfl
is a citzen of the said state, and sues
for the said penalty of thirty-twe
thousand nine hundred dollars accord
ing to the provisions of section 2093
of the code.
& Significant statement,
In his speech at Akron, Q.1o, Sec
retary Taft told the pecple that ' WAl
lam J Bryan would become the suc
cesful leader of the democratic party
and a menace to the prosperity of the
country unless something shcu'd be
accomplishec by President R iost valt."
This is not only a significant statement
but it is a compliment to the Nebras
ra democrat, and, reading between
the lines of the utterance, the fact
stands out that the "something'
Prsident Roosevelt must do to pre
vent democratic success in the nation
is t o carry out the ref orms for which
Bryan stands and which have gisen
birth to the term Bryanism. All of
this goes to showa that Taf t has a level
head. He knows that the people are
gettmng their eyes open and that
unless the Rspublican pary mends i's
ways it will be permanently retired.
Fatal Scrap.
At New York a quarrel over election
matters is believed by the police to
caused the murder last night of W. F.
Harrngtonl, in Little Naples dance
hall and also the probable fatal injar
ing of Abraham Juckerman, who was
found with a fractured skull some
distance away from Little Nitples,
whiCn is conducted by Paul 1611y,
leader of ao inst Side gang.
Both Kled.
At Jackson. Tenn.. Hugh G. Ryals
of that city, was instantly killed and
Warner .itckard, of Paris, Tenn.,
seriously injured Wednesdiay night by
faling jv:;r a bannister, while ergag
d in a friendly seuill: at the Sousu
western Presbyrerianl Uciversity.
Both were studoats and the sons of
miniters.
DAN MUBPRYS CASE
Beirg Zecalled by His Irrest at
Ewainsboro, Georgia
The Man Wha Assassinated Treasur
er Copes, of Orangeburg County.
Wilt Serve Out His Term.
The story of the career of Dan Mar
phy, the escaped convict who is said
Lo have b:.en cap'ured at Swainsboro,
Ga , has recalled some singular ir ci
dents in connecion with tae oc mr
ence. It was published in The State
on Tuesday of last we k that the
amount taken from the body of Treas
urer Copes was $10 000. The State
of Wednesday says "%ae accuracy of
this statement has been questioned by
two former citizens of Orangebuig,
one of whom says that the murder-ea
creasurer had on his person but $1,000
and another for mer citiz:n of that
place states that the amoun5 was not
more than $425.
"In one particular they both agree.
T-e money was not found by the mur.
derer. Treasurer Copes had the bulk
of the money in his pocket where it
was not discovered. Tne money which
the assassin secured was not- more
than $20, principally in pennies. Tne
cowaialy murderer pernaps did not
stop to open the hand bag, whose
weight no doubt deceived him into
chinking that it contained currency
of value when as a matter of fact it
was filled with one cent pieces. And
apon that depended the conviction of
Murphy.
' Tae crime startled the State and
for some time there was no clue. It
is said by one of these Ora'geburg
gentlemen that the case was ferreted
uut by Mr. Geo. B. Kittrell, a man of
it quiring and investigating turn of
mind, who got his first clu: from an
examination of the subscription books
of a county paper. He disciverea
that jus 3u days before the murder a
man nom some point in Florida had
subsoiotd for - this paper for a short
peri d. On , investigation it was
fouaa Mat the paper was going to the
fictitions address given, but had been
taken out of the postoffice by Dan
Murphy. If there was any motive at
all in this move it was that the man
planning the robbery might know the
dates on which the county treasurer
would make his rounds from town to
town in tne discharge of his duty as
taxgatherer, as was permitted under
the jaw of that time.
"In this way Murphy's name was
for the first tin e connected winh the
af-ir, even by suspicion. Murphy was
canen followed and it was found that at
a remote place in Colleton county he
nad excnanged a large number of
pennies for sliver. This was another
ijnk in the chain.
"Finanly It was discovered that Mur
phy had a shot gun which showed
uertain characteristics- noticed in
connection with the shells fired in the
gun which killed Mr. Copes. Tae
piunger struck the shell in a peculiar
plunger stru.:k ttre shell in a peculiar
manner wnich corresponded exactly
with Murphy's gunl.
*Tnese facts taken In connection
with Murphy's stolidity when arrest
ed and his ref ugal to say anything in
answer to charges or to excuse himself
in any way wound the rope around
nis neck. The evidence was circum
stantial in the m. in, but had he been
innocent he might have proved an
ahibi, *hen his neck was in danger.
However, he would say nothing and
would tell nothing of his movements
or 10 days preceecing the killing.
"As recounted yesterday, he was
convicted and sa' tenced to be hanged
and the very afternoon before the ex
ecution he was given a commutation
of sentence on an alibi framed up in
Augusta, it is said, by relatives of
Murphy. This alibi was discredited
by the people of Orangeburg to the
extent that they cried out in criticism
of the .governor who at that time
granted tne c.Fmmutation and of the
attorneys employed by Murphy's
relatives.
"It is said by parties who knew
Murphy at school tnat he was not a
man of nerve, but was a sknilring
coward, and that he was a black
sheep all of his life, his main occupa
tion after being grown having been
the peddling of liquor at negro camp
meetings."
Tne county paper Murphy subscrib
ed for while in Fi~rida was The Times
and Dimocrat. He did not subscribe
in a .fictitious name but in his own
name, Tue amount of mmney Mr.
Copes had with him when assassinated
was $000.00. All of this money, ezs
cept about thirty dcllars in change
Mr. Copes had in his pocket. Tne
~mall change was in asatcaiel in the
back of his buggy. When the assas
sin had done his dastardly act of as
sassinating Mr. Copes, he hurriedly
grabbed the satchel which he evident
ly thought contained all the money
Mr. Copes had collected thbat day, and
in this way he failed to get what he
nad assassinated Mr. Copes to get.
Tne amount the assassin got was 30
dollars, much of which was in cop
pers, which Mr. Copes generally carri
ed with him to make change. Mr.
Geo. B. Kittrell worked hard to find
out the assassin, and, as The State
says, was the first man to suspect the
man wno was convicted of tne crime
Dain. C. Murphy.-Orangeburg Times
and Democrat.
Talking co ?tne BayB.
A Missouri cotemporary rises to re
mark: "Once I was young but now I
am old, and I1 have never seen a girl
that was unfithful to her mother
that ever came to be worth a one
eyed button to her husband. It is
the law -of God. It isn't exictly in
the bible, but it is written large and
awful in t..e miserable lives of many
untit homes. I'm speaking for the
bay titime. If one of you chaps
coes actss a girl that, with a face
full of roses, says to you as she ccmes
to the dour, 'I cant go for thirty
minutes, for the dishes are not wash
ed yet,' you wait for that girl. You
sit right do ~n and wait for her, b3
cause some other fellow may come
al ng and carry her ci, and right
~here you lose your ang~e]. Wait for
iat girl and stick to her like a burr
to a wonoly doge
BOLD THIEVES.
Burglars Cast off Safe With
Seventy Thousand Dollars
WORTH OF GEMS.
The Home of a Millionaire Resident of
Patterson, New Jersey, Robbed
While He Was Attending Re.
vival Service. Safe Thrown
From Window.
A $70,000 jewel robbery, engineer
ed with remarkable delicacy and dar.
mlg, occured IniPatterson, N. i,
Thursday night, when thebhome of
Frederick W. Cooke,-millionsire mem
ber of the Passaic Steel Company, and
one of the best known men in North.
ezn New Jersey, was entered and a
heavy safe, containing practically
every bit of jewelry in the family pog
session, was hurled from a second
story window to the soft dirt In a
yard and carted away.
Absolutely no traceof the direction
the housebreakers took could be found
by the police. The skill of the rob
bers wa5 amazing. They used no
..ackle 'wer the safe, the contents
of wh.-.C were diamonds and other
gems, currency'and Valuable papers.
The only attempt to hide their pre
ence was made when they chose t6e
rear of the house by which to- escape
with their loot.
Mr. Cooke went to the Chapman
revival meeting about 8 o'clock, and
remained there until the end of the
services. He returned promptly to
his home at N.o. 384 Broadway.
No evidences of the roberry were
found by the millionaire when he
opened the door which was securely
iocked,'but when he reached the sec. -
ond floor he fcound a window open.
Taia was unuasual, and he iavestiga
ted. Thinking of the safe, which con
tained jewels left by Mr. Cooke's
mother to his wife, he entered the
room where the steel device, about
two feet square, had been stored. It
was gone.
Looking out the. window the victim
saw a hole in the turf of the yard.-He
descended and found a dent such as
the corner of the safe would have
made had it been dropped. It made
no noise when in struck the ground,
and the burglars presumably fgured
un this ruse for avoiding attention.
The police were immediately notii
ed, buo not even the suggestion of a
clew to the robbera could be found.
Nobady had seen a vehicle standing
opposite or near the Cooke home, and
i- is certain that the looters did not
carry off their booty by hand.
When Mr. Cooke's mAther died she
left all her j iweis, worth many thous
ands of duilars, to her son's wife.
There were family heirlooms worth
just as much in the safe, and jewelry
belonging to the millionaire's wife
and to himself, besides yalnable papra
which Mr. Cooke cannot aff 3rd to
lose.
- Goes Up Head.
At the annual meetiig of the stock.
holders of the Atlantic Coast Line
Railroad at R chmond, Va., last week
?. M. Emerson, of Wilmington,NT. C.,
was elec.ed president; vice B. T..Er.
yin, resigned/ Mr. Emerson was for
mnerly fouth vice president and traf& -
manager. He succaeded Mr. Erwin
on the board of directors. All the
.ther cf~cers and directors were ie
elected Alex Hamilton, former sec
ond vice president, was promoted to
De first vice president. C. S. Gads
den was promoted from third to sea
ond vice president. ,T. B. Kenly was
made third vice president. A divi
dend of 3 per cent. was declared on
the stock, placing ison a 6 instead of
a 5 p.ar cent. bais. Tne annual re
port showed an I :crease In milleage,
gross and net receipts. President
Emnerson started with the road as a
clerk in tne freight offces in Wil
mington, N. C., at $75 per month.
Where Is the Fool Killer?"
A dispatch from Louisville, Ky.,
says a unique social function was that
given on Friday by Mr. and Mrs.
Arthur K. Lord In honor of their dog,
Boots, the occasing being the sigh
teenth anniversary of his Dlrth. Sur-'
rounding the board were a number of
well known local people. The guest
of honor, Boots, was seated at the
right hand of the hostess, and, all
things cnsidered, he behaved remark.
ably welL. His mend consisted of tid
bits of beef, rice and bread, and. he
went through the bill in a manner
said to have been edifying to tee
guests. Boots had his dinner served
in silver platters, and he would not
accept anything less. His one article
or adjornimens was a 'blue bow abonit
his neck _______
Blown to Pieces.
Four men were blown to pieces
Wednesday afternoon by an explosion
at the iab-ratory of the International
Smokeless Pojwder and Cnemical com
pany at Parlin, N. J. The cause of
the explosion will never be known, as
only tne foar men were in the build
ing at tne tme. Tne building was a
one story frame structure and Decause
of the liability to explosions was sep.
arated from ali the others in the plant
except one by a spa of several han
dred feet. Tne next building was a
storehouse in which supples used In
tne other were stored. This caugat
fire a2d was burned.
Fatal Accident.
A special from Cranberry, N. C.,
says two kc.idents occured there Fri
day at the plant of the Cranberry
Furnace Company, as the result of
which one man, Thomas Fjwler, of
Johnson City, Tenn., will die, and
three Other men are seriously injured.
Fowlers' injury was due to his cloth
ing, biing c.ught by a belt, which
woun.1 his body abant a revolving
shaft. The th~ree men Injured, whose
names are not given, were at work on
a sc. ff~ld, thirty feet high, when it
gave way. Both accidents Courred
w.ahin a short time.